1. Field of the Invention
2. Description of Background and other Information
The invention relates to a lap feed plate connected to oscillating nippers in a combing machine and effective to guide the lap to be combed, the same being fed to a feed roller mounted in the nippers.
Combing machines are known in which a lap feed plate made of sheet metal is pivotally connected by way of a first edge to the nippers and by way of a second edge and a hinge having pivot pins to an edge of a second plate whose other edge is pivotally connected to an element rigidly secured to the frame and disposed near a lap roller of the combing machine. The function of the two pivotally interconnected feed plates is to maintain substantially constant the distance travelled by the lap, which is unwound by rotation of the lap roller from a coiled lap thereon, despite variations in the distance between such roller and the feed roller due to the movement of the nippers, and to obviate flutter and misdrafting of the lap.
A disadvantage of these known lap feed plates is that, particularly at the high operating speeds or combing cycle rates required nowadays, the hinge bearings wear out after a short period of operation, with the result of excessive play and excessive noise.